Biotzetik Basque Choir
Language and culture are closely tied together, and when one
disappears the other is sure to follow (if it continues to exist at all). There is a great deal of importance in
preserving languages and cultures, as a result, and today’s blog post
highlights one such language that is considered endangered: the Basque
language. This blog post will discuss what
the Basque language is and the means of preserving and revitalizing its use
among not only those who identify as Basque but also by enthusiasts.
The Basque language, also commonly referred to as Euskara,
is a language spoken by the Basque people, who hail originally from northern
Spain and southern France but large populations of Basque are scattered
throughout the Western United States (specifically Nevada and Idaho). The Basque language is unique as it is
considered a language isolate, meaning it is not similar to any modern-day
European languages. Instead, Basque is
considered to have been influenced by various languages spoken in Europe throughout
history, including languages now long extinct (e.g. Celtic, Latin, and Gascon).
The Basque language is identified as an agglutinative language,
which is defined by the use of multiple prefixes or suffixes on a root word to
change the meaning of the phrase or sentence.
This language type is common throughout the world. The Basque language, however, does have some
unique aspects to it, specifically in that the language has no ƒ consonant
and no simple r sound. Additionally, there
is no consonant after the initial s and no consonant clusters within the
language. These are features, however, found within Castilian Spanish, a
dialect of Spanish spoken throughout northern Spain. It is believed that Castilian Spanish and
Basque borrowed lexicons and grammar from each other.
While the Basque people have undergone a series of grave events
throughout their history (e.g. extermination under Franco’s dictatorship in
Spain and modern-day governmental interventions throughout Spain and France)
the Basque are determined to keep their language alive. Special language courses in Basque are
provided throughout Europe and the US to native Basque and those interested in
learning the language. These programs
have been very successful in revitalizing the Basque language. As one Basque individual living in the US
noted this success may be credited to the special status given to Basque
language speakers, who are considered more prestigious than people who are
simply Basque.
Works Cited
Berriochoa, Kattalina. The Blue Review. 23 May
2014. Electronic. 19 July 2019.
Bilbao Turismo. Bilbao Bizkaia. 2019.
Electronic. 19 July 2019.
Porzucki, Nina. The World in Words, PRI. 31
May 2018. Electronic. 19 July 2019.
SIL International. Basque: Ethnologue. 2019.
Electronic. 19 July 2019.
The Graduate Center. SUM CUNY. 15 January
2019. Electronic. 19 July 2019.
Watkins, Thayer. The Nature of the Baque Language.
n.d. Electronic. 19 July 2019.
Zabaltza, Xabier and Ivan Igartua. etxepare.
2016. Electronic. 19 July 2019.
12 comments:
This was an interesting article considering that I have never heard of the Basque people. I wonder if the children catch on to the language as we do with English or does it take them a little bit more time to comprehend?
-Jasmine Busby
Good question, Jasmine. Language learning is like any new skill-practice makes perfect. There is effort required to learn any language, which is dependent on amount of study, comprehension, dedication, and practice. It may take someone longer than another due to a deficiency in one or more of those areas, but any language (or new skill, for that matter) can be learned with the appropriate effort and time.
What I got from this article is that the Basque language is borrowed from the Spain grammar. This language to me is one of the hardest to learn because it has so many prefixes and suffixes. Does this mean everyone in Spain does not speak this language it in most parts of Spain does. As a US citizen if this language class was a option I would use to my advantage because it seems like an interesting language to dedicate my time too even though the other languages are interesting also.
-crystal riley
Wow, I found this article to be more interesting than I originally anticipated. I've never heard of this Basque language. Knowing that the language is borrowed from Spain makes me a little more intrigued about its history and the history of the people who speak it.
-Breonia G
Its cool how the basque language is a mixture of multiple languages put together.Its also great that there are programs out there to help revitalise the language. Ive never heard of the language before this article ,but it seems to be interesting and also hard to learn.
I've never heard of the basque language before, however I find it interesting how it's a mixture of multiple languages. This is cool because there many dialects and other languages that are composed of different languages, for example; My language, Krio. Me speaking it, makes it easier for me to understand my friends and teammates who are from the islands because they speak patois, which is a form of broken english, which also a part of the language that I speak. -Malalia Siafa-Bangura
I have never heard of Basque people until reading this article. I wonder why languages go extinct and how do new ones come about? Also how do the people catch on so quickly.-castrele hoy
It's so impressive how there are many languages that we can go our entire lives without knowing about them. For me, Basque is the language. I never really thought that a language could be isolated but still have a decent amount of people speaking it, especially in the United States. I can see how the language could have favored Castilian Spanish.
- Chyann Taylor
Hi,
I would love to hear how one language is derived by combing three other languages (Celtic, Latin, and Gascon). Considering that I have never heard either, I believe it would be cool to hear someone speak this language. Joell Davis
I was completely unware of this language. The way Dr. Boston explained the Basque people I can tell that they're deeply genuine and true to what they believe in and I would also like to actually hear the language get spoken.
Its ironic that I came about this post because back in High school choir we sang songs in the basque language. It is fascinating how language differs and by adding on a few letters to a word, it can change the whole meaning. I love that this language is a mix and the people in the culture just want the spread the language and enthuse about it.
-Kennedy thompson
The post emphasizes the interdependence between language and culture, emphasizing how maintaining one is essential to the survival of the other. This acknowledgment highlights the profound cultural value ingrained in languages such as Euskara. The post sheds light on the unique characteristics of the Basque language by describing certain linguistic traits of Euskara and comparing them with Castilian Spanish, such as the absence of some consonants and unusual phonetic patterns. This gives the conversation on language preservation movements more depth.
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